Pastors shouldn’t blog

I don’t really believe that.  But I came close to adopting it as policy.

During my writing sabbatical, I began to struggle with the reality that most of what I was writing about…or wanted to write about…was stuff I was seeing in the lives of people I love and share life with.

This was really nothing new.  For years, I have written about people I know and the stories of their personal journeys.  It has always been pretty easy for me to hide their identities and change the details enough to protect them, while still passing on critique, life lessons, or a challenge to address what’s wrong.

But that had gotten increasingly more difficult.

Honestly, it’s easy for someone to criticize the actions or attitudes of another, when you don’t really know who they are.  When they are at an arm’s distance.  When they are on the other side of a computer monitor.  When they sit in an ivory tower or underneath a freeway overpass.

When they have no names, they aren’t real people.

It can be even more complicated for pastors.  I follow a number of high-profile christian types who constantly come out with both barrels loaded, criticizing and judging all “types” of people who claim to follow Jesus.  They find fault with church leadership and rail against different theologies.  They condemn certain behaviors, while praising those they see as superior. They write boldly to the anonymous, generalized “other”

And they do it from pulpits with moats of separation.  They do it from insulated board rooms and the protective confines of inner circles.

But I can’t hide like that.  I walk with people who sin just like I do.  I share meals and laughter and shortcomings with people I call friends.  I see the failures of people whose names I know and paths I share and messes I wade into.  I see myself in them.  As a pastor, I can’t play dumb to what I see.  I can’t ignore what is wrong and needs to be fixed.  I can’t turn a blind eye.  I’m a card-carrying people helper.

But a blog or a post from the safety of my recliner and the protection of a screen is not the place to do it.  And that’s where I have found myself the past year…fighting the urge to call out the unhealthy and damaging behaviors of the people I love from this unfiltered internet stage.  So I experienced a sort of paralysis.

And I think it was a good thing.

So I am now ready to move forward and write again.  Most sin is common to all.  The only difference is degree.  I’ll continue to work hard to protect the identities of my friends, while confronting those things that damage us, separate us, and undercut the grace of God.

But it sure would be a lot easier to live insulated from real friendship and calloused to the effect of my words on others.

On second thought, pastors really shouldn’t blog.

Maybe you’ve seen this

I hate posting this.

I really do.

But I have a good reason.

This is a tape of an episode of Inside Edition that has been making the rounds on Facebook over the past month or so.  I actually saw it when it first appeared on television a few years ago.  You can watch it here, if you want.  It’s getting a lot of play and it’s stirred up a lot of fan fur.  And it’s not pretty.

It’s a fairly condemning expose of the lifestyles and ministries of some big-time pastor-televangelists.  I probably shouldn’t care, but this is my fraternity…the fraternity of people who draw a salary from the generosity of people who drop money in an offering box every week.

And if you know me, it’s generally a fraternity I try really hard to keep from admitting I’m a part of.

The fraternity of paid pastors no longer enjoys favored status in our culture.  The club has pretty much taken it on the chin ever since their shenanigans started to go viral back in the 70’s.  This video is just another in the long line of Cousin Eddie stuff that, even though we all know it exists, needs to stay in the closet.

I wish people these days didn’t have to sift through this stuff to experience the love of God.  I wish celebrity pastors and out-of-control church leaders and the over-focus on money and edifices and pastoral authority and theological snobbery and slick production were not the filters people had to use to interpret the incarnation.

Truth?  It’s part of our landscape and it won’t be going away.

So dig in.  Be faithful.  Act normal.  Live simply.  Give generously.  Expect nothing in return.  Extend mercy.  Bring hope.  Point only to Jesus.

It will all work out fine.  I’ve read the end of the book.

If you haven’t seen it yet…and you have a bottle of antacids nearby…here’s the video:

Glad to be me. Most days.

monday mornings are usually a time to catch up on current events…what’s going on in culture, both pop and church.  i quick-read various news sources, check out about 25-30 of my most trusted bloggers, and open a handful of social commentaries that are emailed directly to me.

most of the time, i enjoy staying informed.  i love seeing how culture is shaped…new trends…and how lifestyle shifts from day to day.  i know there are people who are uncomfortable with change.  they long for “the good old days”, when life was simpler and less cluttered by technology, media and the moral ambiguity of our post-modern world.

me?  not so much.   maybe it’s just because of the way i’m wired or because of a lifetime of hanging around teenagers (always the frontline of cultural shift), but no matter the reason,  i suppose i’ve always been more comfortable with change than most.

so reading about it is one of the ways i stay aware…and emotionally prepared for the inevitable realities we will all have to live through.  but it doesn’t mean i have to like all of it.

this morning, i read about things a number of big-name, high-profile pastor types did over the past few weeks to make headlines.  if those things are true, as reported…i’m disgusted.  if they are only partially true…i’m just deeply saddened.  either way, i find it hard to believe (based on the trustworthiness of those who are reporting, imo) they are completely innocent and victims of slander.

it makes me feel three things:

first, i’m grateful my life and the church i call my family flies below the radar.  i rest knowing that my opinion is not coveted by the masses…my interpretation of the bible only means something to the people who know me…my “sound bites” are not being recorded…and the paparazzi is not following me around to capture my mundane life for the world to judge.  whew.

second, i so wish the church was not judged by the antics of celebrity, mega-church guys (some, not all).  with great fame and power, comes great responsibility.  my heart aches when those in the spotlight don’t use their platform wisely.   (and for the record, being at the bottom of the church food chain is no excuse to live irresponsibly.  size and integrity are mutually exclusive.)

third, judging others is risky business.  yesterday, while i was sermonizing, i said something that took 24 hours to sink into me.  personally.

the great news of the gospel is,  though i am deeply flawed and full of sin and self-centeredness and definitely more than i am ever willing to admit to myself or others…i am still more loved, more forgiven, more accepted than i can fully comprehend.  and those two realities exist in my life every day.  

the “good” me and the “bad” me coexist simultaneously.  and that’s what makes grace such an amazing thing.

so easy to receive.  so difficult to give.

I just can’t get rid of this burr under my saddle…

a burr is a small seed which has stiff bristles or hooks around it.  once a burr has grabbed on to something, it does not want to let go.  when a burr gets under a horses saddle, it annoys the animal causing it to be testy  and angry, as the burr digs into its flesh causing discomfort.  this same reaction occurs in me.

last week, there was a pretty disgusting video floating around showing a pastor going wacky on his church family during a sermon.  if you haven’t seen it, you can check it out here.  to me, its just another example of a pastor believing it’s his church and his flock and his position and his his calling and his reputation.

his words and his tone and his assumptions are sickening.  i don’t understand why the people just sat there and let him spew.  i guess because they believe he is god’s man for them.  he’s their shepherd.  he’s their leader.

it’s bad.  it’s toxic.  it’s abusive.  it’s totally ridiculous.  but i don’t fault the pastor completely.  he’s just pushing the envelope on what this position has been allowed to become.  what i see today is simply the 21st century version of what happened when the church and rome got in bed together back in the 3rd century.  power corrupts.

and following jesus has never been about power.

fast forward to this morning.  i just finished reading a short post about leadership.  here’s a snippet:

“Pessimists can’t lead when the focus stays on what can’t be done”.

My experience:  things don’t get done in many churches because of all the reasons they can’t be done or because of all the reasons things won’t work.

That church, my friend, has a pessimistic leader.

Don’t get me wrong.  Don’t be stupid.  Don’t do stupid things.

But if all you ever hear from your leader is why things won’t work, or why things can’t happen… maybe you need to start looking for a new leader.

Because this much is true:  nothing WILL happen when you have a leader like that.

Pessimists CAN’T lead.

Don’t keep them in charge.

i don’t disagree with the premise.  strong, healthy organizations generally have strong, decisive, optimistic leaders.  i get it.  but i also see something else.

throughout history, the role of pastor-minister-shepherd-reverend-elder-bishop-priest-rector-whatever turned into a power position.  power in the church.  power in politics.  power in the community.  the reverend was to be revered.  and it’s only gotten worse as history drags on.

and somewhere along the line, during my lifetime, we began substituting the word “leader” for the word “shepherd”.    we started  to refer to the church as an organization in need of strong leadership.  if the church was going to do anything (i.e., grow, expand, build, hire, influence, impact, innovate, etc…), it needed a leader to pave the way.

and we needed to keep hiring and firing until we got it…get it.. right.

and not just any kind of leader.  we wanted…no, needed…a strong man.  a decisive man.  a gifted man.  a man with vision and influence and personality and charisma.  a man who could motivate and inspire and encourage and persuade.  a man people would respect and follow.  a man who would lead us to new heights and to be everything we could never be on our own.

wow.  i just inspired…me.

don’t get me wrong.  i admire great leaders.  i’m a big fan of vince lombardi and general patton and a few of our presidents and my first boss at the boy’s club of national city.  i guess i just have this continued problem with a man being the singular “leader” of a church.

i don’t see it in the bible.  i don’t see it in the heart of jesus.  i don’t see it in the history of the first century church.

but i see it…and hear it…loud and clear these days.  and unfortunately, we often get more…or less…than what we are asking for.

and i can’t help but think we are somehow missing the point of why jesus died on the cross.

A job search

do you ever have those days when things just seem weird to you?  today was one of those days for me.

i was doing a little blog reading of some of my favorite sites this afternoon and i stumbled on kind of a church dating service.  it’s a place where churches advertise pastor job openings.  here’s a clip of an ad for a senior pastor position in an upscale suburban area of houston:

This church is also very involved in local outreach, with a very active counseling ministry, as well as many other programs that provide ministries to both church members and the local community. Blessed with a wonderful facility in the beautiful Galleria area of west Houston, this church has lovely accommodations, as well as great areas for the children and the youth.

Leading this church to the next level will include the following responsibilities: Lead an ongoing ministry of developing disciples of Jesus Christ; Devote himself to the Word of God through personal and scholarly study: Hold to the doctrinal views described in their statement of faith; Provide oversight of the administration of the church; and Plan, along with the other elders, the future ministries and activities of the church. This leader will have a personal life that meets the requirements for an elder and pastor as set out in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

In addition to having a great environment, wonderful facilities, and warm and caring people with whom to work, you and your family will thoroughly enjoy living and playing in this lovely community; with large, manicured lawns; quiet, tree-lined streets; and all the amenities you could ever want–just a short walk or drive away.

here are a few of my thoughts…

i’m more convinced than i have ever been that if i ever got fired from north point, i would probably be better off working behind the counter at subway, than applying for a pastor job at a church that advertises online.

as a matter of fact, i’m pretty sure me being a senior pastor anywhere but north point would turn into a disaster…for both of us.

after reading this, i tried to picture the ad i would write, if north point was going to hop in the pastor sweepstakes.  “north point is blessed with an amazing location, surrounded by a junk yard,  an awesome gas station and a drainage ditch…on a death trap busy street in the at-risk part of old town lewisville.”  swwweeet.

unlike most people, i’m not confused by church-speak.  unfortunately, i get it.  and this “leading the church to the next level” talk wears me out.  i know it’s just words, but i hate that churches set pastors…and themselves…up for discouragement and even failure, by expecting expansion.  if you’re looking for a new pastor, why wouldn’t you just say, “we’re looking for somebody to help us be healthy and faithful to the word?”

when i look at the actual job description (you can see the rest of it here, if you haven’t got enough of this yet), i’m pretty much convinced the apostle paul wouldn’t fulfill all the qualifications.  jesus might even come up a little short.  maybe superman could do it, tho.

i know this is really really judgmental, but anybody that is lured into kingdom work by the thoughts of “large, manicured lawns; quiet, tree-lined streets; and all the amenities you could ever want–just a short walk or drive away”, should just be ashamed of themselves.

i may joke every now and then about getting fired from north point.  let me.  i’m a funny guy.  but the truth is, after 18 years of serving here, i don’t have job security.  i have a family.

and that’s way better than job security.

Money Week…numero uno

i’m going to write about money this week.  maybe next week, too.

(we’re also going to link this to the North Point News…so you may get this twice for a while.  Sorry.)

i hope you don’t take a hiatus from reading.  the topic of money is seldom anybody’s favorite…especially when the dialogue is coming from a preacher.  we have pretty crummy reputations when it comes to church and finances, you know.

when i was just a young youth pastor,  wanda’s dad didn’t think much of me and my chosen career.  growing up, he definitely had some pretty bad experiences in the church and with church leaders…and those experiences spilled out on to me.   because of his past, he believed that ministers were money-hungry and made a habit of, as he called it, “dipping into offering plate!”

he was not unlike many people who believe that church is all about money.

and as convicted as i am about the connection between money and spiritual maturity, there is always a part of me that is uneasy when i talk or write about the subject.  i can never fully escape the feeling that my words will be seen as self-serving.

the reality?  i have spent the majority of my adult life living off of what people put in the offering plate.   there have been a number of seasons when “the plate” has gone through times of difficulty…when salaries and program budgets and facility upkeep and helping people in need have had to be seriously cut back, because there is nowhere else to turn for funding,  except to the people we call family.

i have been part of churches that beat people up with financial appeals.  these days, i deeply understand when people say to me how refreshing it is to be part of a church family that isn’t constantly talking about money and building campaigns and having to listen to every other sermon be about finances.  i get it.

i remember how turned off i was, as a young church leader,  when it seemed like everything we did, said, prayed about, prepared for, and pointed to, was motivated by the desire to have more money.   oh…we justified it and soothed our conflicted consciences  by always connecting our need for more money with our goals of getting bigger…but it always left me pretty hollow.

i look back on our move to texas eighteen years ago (when i was a pretty experienced 40-year-old minister and church leader) and concluding my official “interview” with the north point elders with a monologue that went something like this:

“if you guys have a big building and fund-raising program in your future that you are not telling me about, i really need you to know that i’m not the guy you want to hire here.  i would never do it on purpose, but i guarantee you i will find a way to sabotage it!  not because i disrespect you or because i’m against buildings and growth and all that.  it’s just that i have lived through so much pain and dissatisfaction and spiritual darkness due to the pursuit of money in the church, i’m afraid my heart will never fully be connected to fund raising…even if it’s for a great purpose.”

i can still remember the looks on their faces.  they were looks of compassion and agreement.  i knew i was coming to the right place.

a lot has changed in eighteen years…even as much has remained the same.  i always maintained that i wasn’t cut out to be the senior ringmaster of a church family.  first…because i made a 37-year career of making fun of them, while believing i would never be one!  (be careful what you tell god you will never do!)

another reason was because of the financial responsibility that falls, at least in part, at the feet of the senior dude.  in all of those 37+ years of youth ministry,  i never really looked at…or even cared much about…the weekly offering.  i just figured that whatever was put in the plate was going to be enough.   and even though i basically still feel the same, i see a bigger picture…and feel the weight of responsibility in ways i never did before.

we have more salaries than mine to be concerned about.  we have multiple staff members.  we have missionaries that depend our financial support.  we have a mortgage and utilities to pay each month.  equipment wears out and needs to be replaced.  we have vehicles to insure and two buildings that need regular upkeep and repairs.

we live in a community deemed “at risk” by the state.  that means we have a higher percentage of low-income people living in our neighborhood and children going to our public schools.  we are surrounded by folks with enormous financial pressure…both inside and outside our front doors.

as a church family, we have dreams and ideas and hearts full of hope and possibilities for doing more with what we have.   and much of it is connected to the need for financial resources.   and i am aware of that need pretty much every day of my life anymore…

so i figured i would write to you about it.

don’t be put off.  don’t feel like the “shoe” has finally fallen.  don’t think we are turning into one of those kind of churches.   and please don’t think i’m becoming one of those money-obsessed preachers my father-in-law suspected me of being.  not true.

i’ve always believed that good friends could talk about most anything.  so let’s give it a try…

They got a new Pope today.

as a descendant of 16th century “protesters”,  i was raised to see the catholic church as sort of the opposition…the other side…even the enemy.

protestants and catholics.  oil and water.  hatfields and the mccoys.  the usa and russia.  you get it.  many, throughout history have call the catholic church the whore of babylon.  in the words of sheldon…bazinga!

growing up in southern california, right next to the border of mexico,  many of my friends were hispanic catholics.  they went to saint mary’s catholic church.  they wore saint christophers around their necks (along with all the surfers).  they carried beads.  they partied hard and went to confession to even everything out.  they went to catechism.  the girls had their quinceaneras.

and they were the reason we had to eat fish sticks in the cafeteria on fridays.

i always thought they were cooler than all the other athletes because of that awesome “sign of the cross” they would do in the batter’s box or before they would do a penalty kick.  i never had anything that cool.

but everything changed for me when i was in graduate school…in my mid-twenties.

on the first day of one semester, i met two guys in one of my church growth classes.  when they told me they were studying for the “priesthood” and they were currently in charge of the youth ministry at a local catholic parish…well, let’s just say the game pretty much changed.

i didn’t know what to do with them.  these guys were members of the other team, but now were sitting side by side with me… studying the same bible…using the same terminology…working for the same boss…striving for the same goals.  at least that’s what they said.

how could this be?

we sat in the same classes and talked over lunches and worked on the same group projects.  we discussed grace and discipleship and evangelism and salvation.  we came to many of the same conclusions.  we wrestled with some of the same doctrines and found ourselves falling on the same side of the theological fence, more often than not.

i remember asking them one day, why they didn’t leave the catholic church.  their answer stunned and inspired me.  they said even though they saw many flaws in the catholic church (just like i saw many flaws in the fundamentalist upbringing of my youth), it was their heritage.  it was their family.  their parish was full of people they loved…full of people who needed to know the gospel…people who desperately needed to know jesus.

it was in those classroom settings…in those deep conversations with guys who were so different, yet so similar, to me… in those conversations of brutal honesty and compassionate transparency…that my heart changed.  catholics stopped being the enemy.

do i think the catholic church is missing the mark?  you bet.  i think they have since the days of the second and third centuries when the church and the government of rome got in bed together for political advancement.

do i question the catholic church’s system of leadership and hierarchy?  definitely!  but in my not-always-so-humble-but-often-critical opinion, the protestant church since the time of martin luther…through the birth and growth of evangelicalism…all the way to today’s modern church growth movement and beyond…we protestants have also created a system of hierarchy that seriously misses the mark of the teachings of the apostles, as well as the heart and message of jesus himself!

beware the smug superior attitude.  it’s an ugly thing.

do i think the catholic church is full of traditions and rituals that have little, or no, connection to authentic biblical teaching?  of course.  like we protestants don’t have closets full of secrets and damning arguments over meaningless traditions.  sheesh.

do i struggle with the idea of a “pope”?  of course.  i believe the whole idea of papel succession is built on a completely faulty interpretation of three verses in matthew 16.  i don’t believe that any man should speak with heavenly authority.  i don’t believe that any man has the “ear” of god more than any other man.  i don’t believe that any man has the power to absolve the sins of another man.   i don’t believe that any man should be revered and lifted up higher than another man.

yup.  that’s what i think.  and i also believe for many protestant/evangelical pastors, the only real difference between them and popes and cardinals and archbishops and priests is the absence of a pointy hat.  god help us all.

are catholics saved?  not because they’re catholics.  are protestants saved?  not because they’re protestants.  are christians saved?  not because they call themselves christian.  the world…even history…is full of people and churches and systems who think they are “right”.

have i ever met a catholic who knows and loves and serves jesus?  most certainly.  many.  have i ever met a protestant/evangelical/christian who i think has completely missed the point of grace and atonement and discipleship?  many.  i mean, many.

there’s so much more that could…and probably should…be said.  but for now, here’s my conclusion:  i prayed for the new pope today.  you should too.

you could pray for me, also.  i need it as much as he does.

probably more.

A not-so-subtle disconnect

if you’ve read what i write for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with my ongoing cage match with the clergy.

the fact that i am one, only makes things more awkward.

look.  i am more than okay with what it says in the bible about the position of elder, bishop, shepherd, minister, deacon, preacher and even pastor (even though that word only appears once in our english bibles).  i just kind of live at odds with what the church and society have made the pastor out to be.

for uh…hundreds of years.  it’s been a while, but i’ll save the rant for another time.

here’s what i’m thinking tonight, tho.  i read a lot.  the majority of what i read is about the church.  church leadership.  church growth.  church programs.  church shepherding.  church discipline.  church problems.  church finances.  church…church…church.

on top of that, i do church stuff every day.  church counseling.  church planning.  church study.  church management.  church strategy.  church problems.  church relationships.  church meetings.  church…church…church.

i read this article today about pastors and why they quit.  the author said that nearly 1700 pastors quit their roles as pastors every month.  geez.  i had no idea there were that many of us.  the article also said every year, 4000 new churches open their doors…and 7000 churches close theirs.  wow.

talk about a mess.  talk about a disconnect.  now i don’t know all the reasons why pastors quit.  i’m sure burnout and disillusionment and feelings of failure and unrealistic expectations rank right up there.  i’ve listened to pastors talk about how frustrated they are that their church family doesn’t view the church the way they do.

i’ve listened to pastors complain that their people don’t respond to their sermons…don’t give enough money…don’t come consistently…don’t show enough support.  i suppose this is at the heart of my ill feelings towards pastors the role they play in our culture.  i’m weary of the whining.

most people are never going to have the emotional investment in church life the way i do.  just like i won’t have the same emotional investment you have in your job or your family.  that doesn’t make me better.  it doesn’t make you bad.  it just makes us normal.

i figured out years ago that most people…

• don’t think about church programs every day.
• don’t reflect on my sermons all week long.
• don’t remember what i preached on the previous week.
• don’t get overwhelmed by the church calendar.
• don’t even know where to find a church calendar.
• don’t think about the church’s utility bill.
• couldn’t care less that i know greek.
• don’t understand what seminary is.
• don’t have a clue what i do.
• won’t think about “church” again until next saturday night or sunday morning.

and i’m ok with it.  really.  i don’t obsess about what HR is doing at your work.  i have no clue what the labor / management issues are at your place of business.  i don’t know what your yearly budget is.  i don’t know the details of the crises that you are managing at your work.   i don’t know what IT guys do.  or how pilots fly planes…or how to fix faulty gas shut-off valves…or how to deliver babies.

…and your work and your life and the details of how you spend the overwhelming majority of your time are close to your heart and give meaning to your days.   just like mine does for me.

church is not a building or an event.  it’s a family.  don’t ever confuse church programs with the church.   and i won’t confuse my role as the benevolent ringmaster of all things north point with the friendship we share.

I’m not real happy tonight.

like no other time in my life, i’m really starting to get why people don’t want to have anything to do with the church…why they don’t believe in god…why there is so much animosity directed at christians and the christian faith…and why a life of spirituality, with no ties to any organized religion, is so attractive to people these days.

instead of simply grieving for the loss of loved ones during times of heinous and inexplicable tragedy, it seems like christians always  have this unsolicited urge to offer commentary…and even explanation…for god’s role in the cause and purpose of suffering.  and i’m pretty tired of it.

i understand.  i really do.  we have god’s explanation book at our fingertips, for crying out loud.  i often feel that same craving to enlighten people and set them straight as to what god’s up to during these awful events.  i suppose that’s even what i’m doing right now.  hypocrisy is such a personal buzzkill.

here’s some of what i’ve heard coming from christian leaders over the past few days:

• “god needed his little angels more than we did.”
• “god is punishing america for it’s unfaithfulness to his commands.”
• “this is all part of god’s master plan.”
• “god predestines some to salvation and some to damnation.”
• “god called these children home.”
• “who are we to question god’s will?”
• “this tragedy was god’s call for each of us to personally repent.”
• “this is a sign of the end of world.” (inferred that god is orchestrating the tragedy)
• “god did this to bring about even greater glory for himself.”
• “this is what you get when you take prayer out of schools.”
• “there is no mental illness…only depraved hearts.”
• “god is sovereign…his ways are higher than ours.”

some of these explanations have an element of truth in them.  in my pastorly opinion, others are completely false.  here is neither the time nor the place to have a theological throwdown.  and i guess that’s my point.

i know people need help wrestling with feelings and beliefs in times like these.  faith, doubt, and intense sorrow are uncomfortable bedfellows.  but this is not the time to talk.  it is the time to come along side.   if you have a belief in jesus, it’s time to act like him…not be his press secretary.

especially when the world is listening.

at a minimum, our explanations are confusing and smack of “insider language”.  at their worst, our explanations paint a picture of a vengeful and manipulative god who seems to be willing to sacrifice the lives of innocents for a greater good.  sadly, i think they are doing more harm than good…for both the sufferers and the watching world, as well.

and for the record, there appear to be a small handful of specially called and anointed pastors who know the truth well enough to speak authoritatively on behalf of god and what he is doing in these tragic acts.   and i wish they would be quiet right now.

apparently, i must have been checking my fantasy scores when that “pastor” responsibility was passed out…

A Sunday night thought

one of the most-read and relied-on studies about the growth of churches in the united states is a book titled, “one size doesn’t fit all”, by gary macintosh.  i read it a number of years ago and a lot of his ideas made a whole lot of sense back then.  some still do.

others not so much.  here’s a quote about medium-sized churches (which he identifies as church families between 200 and 400 attendees):

“…many medium sized churches face the decision of having to adjust their ministries to continue to growing into a large church.  If they don’t make the appropriate adjustments, they will either plateau for a time of decline back to a small church size.  Some medium-sized churches will plateau and stay at the medium church size, but the pull downward is stronger that the pull upward.  It’s usually just a matter of time before the plateaued church gets smaller.”

he even goes on to suggest something even more unsettling:

…that there is no such thing as a healthy medium size church (201-400 attendees).  churches are either growing or shrinking.

now here’s my personal reality check.  north point is firmly entrenched in the medium size camp.  these days, we have about 285 people who make up our church.  

i know (from both reading and experience) there are things we could do right now  that would result in a bigger church family.  for church growth folks, it’s all about formula and statistics and trends and strategies that will result in moving just about any small-sized church to a medium-sized one…and then on to a large church…and then upwards to mega-status.

it’s all based on one primary assumption:  god wants smaller churches to become bigger churches…so we should do everything we can to get bigger. 

now i’m not going to debate that assumption here tonight (though is worth some healthy questioning).  what i will concede is there are a number of things we could do at north point right now that would definitely position us to get bigger right a way.  changes in our programming.  different approaches to raising funds.  hiring more staff.   developing a marketing strategy.  new equipment.  upgrading our facility.  maybe even adjusting our theology.

with all of those changes, though, there is one major shift in ministry priorities we would have to adopt.  we would have to grow comfortable with the idea of acceptable collateral damage.   that means it would not be just okay to lose some north point families along the way (because they didn’t want to get on board with the new growth plan)… but it would actually be better to lose those people,  in order to replace them with others that are better suited to grow with us.

it happens all the time in churches.  leadership makes decisions and changes in the direction and priorities of the church family…people question the “wisdom” of decisions…said people become labelled as insubordinate and divisive…leadership is privately glad to see these people move on…people who are attracted to “growing, bigger” churches are soon assimilated to some level of involvement…former members quickly become out of sight, out of mind…then voila!  church growth.

here’s why i don’t think i will ever be that kind of pastor…that kind of leader…and why we will probably never be that kind of church:

i cannot bring myself to view people as acceptable collateral damage.  ever.   i don’t want people to leave, just so we can get more and better people come.  just can’t wrap my head around that idea.

consequently, i think we’ll just keep loving and shepherding those people who find their way to our doors and our homes and our places of work and where we play…and make the best of the strategic mess we find ourselves in.

tonight, that sounds pretty good to me.